The Eagles are on their bye week and the Phillies' season is wrapping up. So here we go with another edition of Roob's 25 Random Points.
Let's get to it.
1. The contrast between Chip Kelly and Doug Pederson is absolutely fascinating. Kelly talked such a good game. He could talk about any facet of football – past, present or future – in exquisite detail, putting everything in context of the Eagles, and he sounded like a flat-out genius doing it. Pederson? His answers are far shorter and often scattered and vague. He’s sincere but rarely comprehensive and never deep. But once they start coaching? They are polar opposites. It’s stunning, really. Pederson so far has shown an instinctive feel for play calling and attacking a defense that Kelly couldn’t dream of. And Kelly, for all his bluster, would never have had the guts to go for the fourth-down conversions that Pederson has been going for. Especially with a rookie quarterback in close games. The rookie quarterback has been doing unprecedented stuff, and the defense is playing off the charts. But Pederson may be the biggest surprise of all. He’s been masterful so far. I saw Pederson as a quarterback in 1999 and an assistant coach from 2009 through 2012, and I never saw any sign of the leadership, the confidence, the fire that he’s shown this first month of the season. It’s only three games, and I don’t want to get carried away, but this has been the greatest head coaching debut in Eagles history, and owner Jeff Lurie, executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman and team president Don Smolenski deserve a ton of credit for this out-of-the-box hire. I thought they were simply trying to copy the Andy Reid model, and I felt like that was a mistake. But so far? Pederson has been unreal. He’s the only coach in NFL history to go 3-0 in his first year with a rookie quarterback and win all three games by at least 15 points. What Pederson has done on the field is almost as remarkable as what he’s done off the field, navigating the franchise through some rough waters — Sam Bradford’s holdout and trade a week before the opener, a third-string quarterback with very little training camp being promoted into the starting lineup, two players getting into legal trouble just before training camp, Lane Johnson’s likely suspension, player pregame protests and so on. Pederson has handled it all beautifully and he’s won over the locker room in the process — something that is very tough for a rookie head coach to do. Especially one with so little experience. I have no idea what’s coming next, but I’ve seen enough to believe the Eagles are in very good hands moving forward.
2. I was looking at quarterbacks who went 3-0 without an interception to open a season. Not just rookies but any quarterbacks. And it’s not very common. Carson Wentz is the 27th quarterback in NFL history to go 3-0 without an INT to open a season, and it’s a list that includes names such as Tom Brady, Roger Staubach, John Elway, Dan Marino, Donovan McNabb, Dan Fouts and Peyton Manning. Of those 27 quarterbacks, Wentz’s 64.7 percent completion percentage is ninth-highest. And of those nine, his 769 passing yards are fourth-most. So he’s one of only five QBs in NFL history — again, not just rookies but all quarterbacks — to open a season 3-0 without an interception and complete at least 64 percent of his passes and throw for 750 yards or more. The others are Aaron Rodgers, Randall Cunningham, McNabb and Brady. He’s not just off to a terrific start for a rookie. He’s off to a terrific start period.
3. And then there’s the guy Wentz was playing behind a month ago. Bradford is one of only six quarterbacks in the NFL with a higher passer rating than Wentz. Bradford, who is 2-0 as the Vikings' starter going into a Monday night game against the Giants, has a 107.8 to Wentz’s 103.8. And get this: The last two games — Bradford’s first two after joining the Vikings just before the opener — are Bradford’s first consecutive games in which he’s completed at least 60 percent of his passes with one or more TDs and no interceptions since 2010. Two quarterbacks, neither who was the starter with his current team a month ago, having insane starts. Crazy.
4. My concerns about Ryan Mathews go beyond this current ankle injury. Don’t get me wrong, I love the way Mathews runs. He’s a big, strong, tough, physical runner. But I really wonder if he can survive and flourish with that running style. The guy is always hurt. He’s started more than six games once since 2012, and this current left ankle injury dates back before training camp. But here’s what worries me. Mathews missed three games last year with a concussion he suffered against the Dolphins, and the numbers say he hasn’t been the same player since. He’s played seven games since then and has 65 carries for 216 yards, a 3.3 average. He’s only averaged 4.0 yards or better once during that seven-game span, and this is a guy who was leading the NFL in rushing average at 6.1 yards per carry going into that Miami game. Mathews hasn’t looked like an elite back in a while, and the way Wendell Smallwood and Kenjon Barner have been running the ball, the Eagles are in good hands with the running game. Mathews tried to play the last two games with a bum ankle, and the results have been awful. The Eagles need to get him 100 percent healthy, as long as that takes, and see where he’s at. Until then, Smallwood and Barner have to be this team’s lead backs.
5. Here’s a good one: The Eagles are only the third team in NFL history to open a season 3-0 without a committing a turnover, and Pederson has been on the staff of two of them. Of the three teams — the 1995 Rams and Andy Reid’s 2013 Chiefs are the others — the Eagles’ point differential of plus-65 is the highest.
6. Interesting that Wentz ranked only 20th in the NFL with 29 completions over 10 yards going into this weekend’s games. He hit a few big plays against the Steelers, and the reality is that so far the short game — combined with ferocious defense — has worked. But it’s a dimension of the Eagles' offense that needs to improve. Of Wentz’s 29 completions over 10 yards, only Jordan Matthews (eight) has more than four. Something to keep an eye on.
7. Has anybody ever actually listened to a Joni Mitchell record?
8. Hard to believe the Phillies were once seven games over .500 this season. They were 24-17 on May 18. They had the third-best record in the National League and the seventh-best record in baseball. Nobody expected the playoffs and even a winning record seemed unlikely. But they were playing good baseball and had at least seemed to turn the corner. But since then, going into Sunday’s season finale, the Phils were 46-74, the second-worst record in baseball. For the most part, their young players haven’t panned out. Their hottest hitter has been Ryan Howard. Their bullpen has been world-class bad. Their promising young starters have been barely mediocre. And that bright future has dimmed greatly. In the end, the Phils are going to win 70 or 71 games, which is an improvement over last year but still their second-worst record over the last 20 years. With a game left, they’re at .240 with a .301 on-base percentage and a .690 OPS. Incredibly, they had five or fewer hits in 40 of their 161 games. One out of every four nights they’re hammering out five or fewer hits. Maybe they made strides this year, but it’s tough to find any positives in 46-74.
8. Amazing that on May 20, the Phillies were ahead of the Mets in the N.L. East standings. As late as Aug. 19, the Phillies were only 3½ games behind the Mets. Between then and Saturday, the Mets went 27-12 and the Phillies went 13-26. So the Mets gained 14 games on the Phils in about five weeks. Now one team is headed to the playoffs and the other is picking up the pieces after its second-worst season in the last 20 years.
9. I made a comment the other day that a few people took exception to that the Eagles should be “in the conversation” when it comes to NFC contenders. Why not? From what I’ve seen these first three weeks, this team has an exceptional defense, a hot quarterback and a capable coach. People, there’s no magic here. They’ve won on the road on a Monday night, they’ve beaten an AFC Super Bowl contender, they’ve won all their games by at least two touchdowns and they’re playing so well in some key areas — quarterback, pass protection, secondary, pass rush, run defense — that their weaknesses (running game, wide receiver firepower, inexperience) haven’t mattered. I’m not saying the Eagles are going to the Super Bowl, but at this early stage they sure have the look of a team that’s capable of making a deep playoff run.
10. I, on the other hand, hope this baseball thing works out for Tim Tebow. Not sure why so many people are rooting against him. I guess it’s trendy. He’s a good kid and during his brief stay with the Eagles, he was nice to everybody, treated everybody with respect and patience despite the crazy demands on him. I saw Tebow sign autographs for kids after every training practice last summer. Despite his home run in his first at-bat in rookie ball, a baseball career is an extreme long-shot for Tebow. But root against him? No way. I love a good long-shot story.
11. Here are 25 Philly bands you need to check out: 1) Hurry, 2) Slaughter Beach, Dog, 3) Weller, 4) Jank, 5) Mercury Girls, 6) Broken Beak, 7) Literature, 8) Year of Glad, 9) Thin Lips, 10) Lithuania, 11) Superweaks, 12) Cheerleader, 13) Mike Bell and the Movies, 14) Amanda X, 15) Beach Slang, 16) Sheer Mag, 17) Cayetana, 18) Little Big League, 19) Hop Along, 20) Superweaks, 21) Nothing, 22) Chris Forsythe and the Solar Motel Band, 23) Creepoid, 24) Restorations, 25) Radiator Hospital. (I omitted well-known bands like War on Drugs, Kurt Vile, Modern Baseball, Dr. Dog and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah because if you read this far you already know them).
12. My five biggest surpises on the Eagles so far — non-Wentz division: 1. Nigel Bradham, 2. Wendell Smallwood, 3. Allen Barbre, 4. Jalen Mills, 5. Caleb Sturgis.
13. There’s no band I’d like to see get back together more than the Kinks.
14. Why in tributes is somebody always “an incredible athlete (or musician or writer or historian or whatever) and an even better person? There has to be SOMEBODY out there who’s a better athlete or musician or writer than they are a person. I want to hear about THAT guy!
15. The more I watch the Wentz TD pass to Darren Sproles, the more I think it’s one of the most remarkable plays in recent Eagles history. Wentz did four impressive things on the one play — 1) He sidestepped traffic in the pocket, showing remarkable pocket presence and court awareness, 2) He threw across his body 3) and unloaded on the move and while scrambling to his right, and 4) showed amazing touch, lobbing the ball over Ryan Shazier to Sproles in a full sprint.
16. About an hour after Villanova beat North Carolina, I asked Kris Jenkins what went through his mind after he released the ball. He didn’t hesitate or crack a smile when he looked me in the eye and said, “Ballgame.” I get chills thinking of that shot.
17. I think for my next 25 Random Points I’ll rank the 10 greatest sports moments I’ve seen in person. I know Joe Montana’s game-winning touchdown pass to John Taylor in the 1988 Super Bowl in Miami will be up there. I know Eric Allen’s 94-yard interception return off Boomer Esiason in 1993 will be up there. I know 4th-and-26 will be up there and the Brian Westbrook and DeSean Jackson punt returns against the Giants seven years apart in 2003 and 2010 will both be up there. But Kris Jenkins is No. 1 and will never leave that spot.
18. If Terrell Owens had Jordan Matthews’ mindset and approach, he would have been as good as Jerry Rice. Maybe better.
19. That excruciating moment when the traffic light finally turns green and the first person in line just sits there, either spacing out or staring at their phone or just blissfully unaware of the world around them. I did the math and if you factor out all those moments around the country, it comes out to $37 billion in annual lost revenue in the U.S. Yeah, I just made that up. But it’s gotta be like right around there.
20. I’ve never heard a saxaphone solo I liked.
21. One of the biggest trends we’ve seen in the first three games is Pederson’s penchant for throwing early and running late. Based on his experience in Kansas City and just the way he spoke about the running game, I thought Pederson would be more balanced offensively, but so far, Pederson has called 104 first-half plays, with a 71-33 pass-run ratio. In the second half, that has gone to 43 passes and 66 runs (subtracting kneel-downs). That is astounding. So the Eagles are running 32 percent of the time in the first half and 61 percent of the time in the second half. Throw it to build a lead, run it to protect the lead.
22. So here are the teams throwing the ball at least 65 percent of the time in the first half (going into Sunday’s games):
70 percent … Redskins
69 percent … Raiders
68 percent … Eagles
68 percent … Ravens
68 percent … Vikings
67 percent … Saints
66 percent … Buccaneers
65 percent … Chiefs
65 percent … Jaguars
And here are the teams running the ball at least half the time in the second half:
61 percent … Eagles
60 percent … Patriots
55 percent … Broncos
53 percent … Jets
52 percent … Bills
50 percent … Rams
So the Eagles are throwing it more than all but two teams in the first half and running it more than any team in the second half. Fascinating, really.
23. Can’t wait for next year’s Dîner en Blanc! Yeah, sure.
24. My top 10 albums of 2016 so far:
1. Fruit Bats, “Absolute Loser”
2. Shearwater, “Jet Plane and Oxbow”
3. Car Seat Headrest, “Teens of Denial”
4. Hamilton Leithauser / Rostam, “I’ve Had That Dream 1,000 Times”
5. Slaughter Beach, Dog, “Welcome”
6. LVL UP, “Return to Love”
7. Hurry, “Guided Meditation”
8. Nick Piunti, “In My Head”
9. Pooches, self-titled
10. Broken Beak, “Some Nerve”
25. I just got a text from Sarah Baicker that said this: “I’m pretty sure I just walked down the elevator to the train behind a man with a fake ear.”
